Digital Citizenship

K-2 Resources

  • Show Respect Online - Students explore the similarities and differences between in-person and online communications, discuss how to be clear and respectful when they talk with people, either face to face or online.
  • Screen Out the Mean - Students explore what cyberbullying means and what they can do when they encounter it.
  • Bad Netiquette Stinks - Students will learn the definition of netiquette and discuss the importance of having good manners online. They will create a “netiquette net” to capture examples of bad online manners.

3-5 Resources

  • Power of Words - Students consider that they may encounter online messages from other kids that can make them feel angry, hurt, sad, or fearful.
  • Rings of Responsibility - Students explore what it means to take on responsibilities in both their offline and online communities as a way to learn how to be good digital citizens
  • Attitude Overdrive: Students will watch the NSTeens video "Attitude Overdrive" and discuss appropriate conduct while gaming online. They will then separate into groups and write short skits that demonstrate proper gaming etiquette.

6-8 Resources

  • Cyberbullying: Be Upstanding - Students learn about the difference between being a passive bystander versus a brave upstander in cyberbullying situations. Students reflect on what it means to be brave and to stand up for others.
  • The Reality of Digital Drama - Students are encouraged to analyze generalizations about men and women in both videos, and to think critically about the ways that gender stereotypes can play out in mass media, as well as in their own lives online.
  • Cyberbullying: Broken Friendship - Students watch the story of a girl whose best friend gave out her e-mail password to some other girls at school without her knowledge. Students respond to a letter from someone about an experience on the Internet.

9-12 Resources

  • Turn Down the Dial on Cyberbullying- Which factors intensify cyberbullying and online cruelty, and what can you do to lessen them?
  • Taking Perspectives on Cyberbullying - Students learn about the dynamics of online cruelty and how it affects all of the people involved.
  • Feelings on Display - Students explore the pressures many teen girls and boys face to keep up appearances online.
  • Breaking Down Hate Speech - Students learn to recognize hate speech by reading an article or by analyzing a brief video.
  • Cyberbullying: You Can't Take It Back
  • Students watch the true story of a boy who rated girls from school on a website, thinking it was a private joke between him and his friends. Students discuss the positive and negative aspects of the Internet and offer ideas about what the boy could have done when his friends asked him to rate the website.